Chapter 367 Encountered
After the Queen came back from the Imperial Garden, she was not in a better mood. It was not like she had won a fight, so how could she be better? She used to think that she could see through her life at a glance, that it was honor, but gradually she found that it was not.
It is already difficult to maintain her own honor now. In fact, after meeting Shen Qing today, she felt that whether she went or not on this trip was actually just to make herself feel better. Is there really any use? No.
After returning to Fengyi Palace, the Queen wrote as usual. Fengyi Palace was very deserted, but she had gotten used to it.
At this moment, Jinzhi heard a message from a young eunuch, and she was shocked.
"Golden Branch." The Queen's voice came.
Jinzhi's heart skipped a beat and she went to the queen.
The Queen was writing a calligraphy: "How is my calligraphy?"
Jinzhi looked at the Queen's handwriting and found it was naturally very good. She praised it and the Queen smiled, but when she saw Jinzhi's expression, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"
"According to the news, the emperor summoned his ministers to discuss postponing the selection of candidates, saying that it was a waste of money and effort, and changed it to every five years, and there will be no selection at the beginning of the year."
The Queen paused as she held the pen in her hand, realizing that the ink on the pen had fallen on the words she had just written, leaving a large ink spot. The calligraphy was ruined. The Queen looked at the words in front of her, gritted her teeth and crumpled the paper into a ball: "Xian Fei."
She hadn't been this angry for a long time, but she really couldn't control herself at this moment. She had just met with the virtuous concubine, and now her previous experience seemed like a joke.
Did Concubine Xian know about this beforehand? If she knew, the scene in the imperial garden was just for her to see. It's ridiculous that she felt relieved just by looking at her like this.
The queen was very angry, but at the same time she was even more scared. The emperor had done such a thing. Would the emperor do it for Shen Qing if she asked for the position of queen in the future?
No, it wouldn't happen. The Queen herself overturned this idea. At least the Emperor knew how to find a reason. Besides, it was just a postponement, not canceling the selection of concubines. As long as she is stable, the Emperor will not touch her position as Queen.
Although the postponement of the selection was shocking, after all, it was not a cancellation, but just a postponement. It is understandable that the emperor did not want to waste time and money. Deposing the queen would be much more troublesome than postponing the selection.
But, it won't happen on the surface. What if it's not on the surface? Will the emperor let her die? No, she is the queen. If she dies suddenly, Shen Qing will become the successor. Not only will the civil officials criticize Shen Qing every day, but the emperor will also be worried.
Thinking of this, the queen sat up straighter. After all, her status was her greatest guarantee. Now, unless she had done something wrong that could not be suppressed and made the court officials speechless even though they knew the emperor's decision, the emperor would not depose her, nor would he die of illness.
Xuanyuan Ling's postponement of the selection caused a huge uproar, and people in the harem were talking about it like crazy. Everyone knew that the emperor was now focusing on the Zhaohua Palace and was counting on the selection to break the situation where the virtuous concubine was the only one favored. In the end, the person didn't come in, and the emperor postponed it himself.
Nowadays, all the concubines in the harem have become blunted in their temper. Those who have given up have really given up. There is no reason not to give up. Originally, they still had some hope, but with Chen Qing being promoted to Concubine Xian, they dare not count on it anymore. What is there to hope for? Firstly, the Emperor is like this, and secondly, being summoned by the Emperor will make Concubine Xian worried about her. What if she doesn't die a good death?
After this incident, more concubines came to pay their respects to Shen Qing and flatter him.
When she was a concubine, people came to pay her respects. The concubines in the harem were already very respectful of her, and now they are even more so.
No matter what the concubines' mentality was when they went to Zhaohua Palace, they had to go there anyway.
At this time, Concubine Zhou did not go. She did not care about these things now. Seeing the hustle and bustle of Zhaohua Palace, she was actually a little indifferent. These bustles had nothing to do with her. Would Concubine Xian promote her if she went? Would Concubine Xian target her if she did not go? Neither, so let it be.
That's other people's fun.
But at times like this, she was happy to think of Chu Linglong. Perhaps she must be feeling uncomfortable, right?
Thinking of this, I really planned to go and meet Chu Linglong.
Caiping was afraid every time she saw Concubine Zhou going to see Chu Linglong, but she had to go. She and Concubine Zhou would prosper and suffer together.
Chu Linglong was indeed feeling unhappy.
She went with the other concubines to pay a visit to Concubine Xian. All the concubines in the harem went to pay their respects. After looking around Zhaohua Palace, they returned to their own residence and found it getting even more deserted.
It was so lonely that she didn't want to stay in her room and would rather go out for a walk. Now when she went out, Ming Su wanted to follow her, but she wouldn't let him. Ming Su found that Chu Linglong went out alone more often, and he felt a little uncomfortable.
After all, she was the one who secretly gave the soup to Chu Linglong and concealed its origin. Chu Linglong had saved her and was very good to her. She felt guilty towards Chu Linglong.
Chu Linglong didn't often go to the Imperial Garden, but she would occasionally meet the eldest prince. Occasionally, the eldest prince would ask her when she would come again, but she would just say she didn't know.
Today, she saw it. She went to the place where she usually met the eldest prince, and she met the eldest prince.
This time it was a coincidence, but Chu Linglong saw the eldest prince. She smiled and said, "Shouldn't the eldest prince be accompanying Concubine Shun at this time?"
The eldest prince was not happy to hear Concubine Shun, and frowned when he heard it, but he was very happy to see Chu Linglong: "If you want to come out, just come out."
Looking at the eldest prince's appearance, Chu Linglong knew that he might have some friction with Concubine Shun again, so she didn't mention Concubine Shun and talked about some happy things.
The eldest prince and Chu Linglong always got along well. He was in a bad mood today, but he felt much better after chatting with her for a while.
The two chatted for a long time. The eldest prince was in a good mood and was reluctant to see Chu Linglong leave.
But unexpectedly, Concubine Zhou came.
Concubine Zhou originally went to look for Chu Linglong, but she didn't expect Chu Linglong was not there. Ming Su, because Concubine Zhou had comforted Chu Linglong and he didn't know about Chu Linglong and the eldest prince, asked Chu Linglong to go out for a walk by herself. When Concubine Zhou came, they just happened to run into each other.
Few people come to the Imperial Garden in winter, and this place is secluded. If Concubine Zhou didn't want to look for someone, she would never come here.
But she was dumbfounded when she looked at Chu Linglong and the eldest prince.
The eldest prince is actually not very old. He will be thirteen after the New Year, but he is already a little adult. When he is with Chu Linglong, they look a bit like siblings. But if they are siblings, it would be fine. But one of them is the emperor's concubine and the other is the emperor's son. This is totally against the rules. How could they be talking and laughing?
Lady Zhou suddenly realized that she should hide when she saw something she shouldn't have seen, but she hesitated. A thought flashed through her mind: Why should I hide? What am I afraid of?
Thinking of this, she walked out and looked at their astonished expressions.
Chu Linglong saw Concubine Zhou the first time. She never expected to see Concubine Zhou here, but now that she had seen her, she couldn't hide it. If she did, it would seem like something was really wrong. "What a coincidence, Sister Zhou is here to shop too?"
Concubine Zhou looked at Chu Linglong. Chu Linglong had concealed her emotion well just now, but she saw the eldest prince's surprise. If it was just a coincidence, there would be no need for such a scene. And judging from the way they talked, it was obvious that this was not the first time they met.
Noble Lady Zhou pretended not to know. The eldest prince was not stupid after all. Under the current circumstances, it would be inappropriate for him to stay, lest it would be bad for Chu Linglong. After all, she was a child of the palace. Even if she didn't understand human affairs yet, she knew that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. His status and Chu Linglong's were such that they shouldn't be together and chat. But he was always thinking about her.
As soon as the eldest prince left, Concubine Zhou and Chu Linglong had to pay their respects to see him off. After the eldest prince had gone far away, Concubine Zhou looked at Chu Linglong.
Chu Linglong smiled as if nothing had happened: "I just happened to run into the eldest prince. Did Sister Zhou come here specifically to look for me?"
The relationship between the two of them was already a bit complicated, and now seeing this scene, the smile on Chu Linglong's face looked like it was painted.
Lady Zhou pretended not to notice anything: "It's New Year's Day, I feel lonely there, I'm just thinking about you."
"Sister Lao is thinking about you."
The conversation between the two was quite dry.
But no one mentioned the eldest prince.
In fact, who would be able to let it go if they really saw her? There was no guarantee that Lady Zhou would be aware of her intentions, right?
Chu Linglong has been in contact with the eldest prince for a while. She certainly doesn't expect the eldest prince to be her son, but a prince will at least be a prince in the future. Given the eldest prince's age, he must be the first to enter the court. With his friendship with the eldest prince, there will always be a time when he can be of use.
What else can she ask for if she can't win favor in the palace? Chu Linglong knew that her position was definitely more than just a noble lady. When she became the master of a palace, she could do more. If she didn't ask for favor, she would ask for wealth and glory. She didn't have a son, but she was unwilling to fall into the dust like this, especially since the virtuous concubine was high up. Who knows, the higher she stood, the more miserable she would fall?
But actually, if you think about it carefully, you will realize that what can Concubine Zhou say now? It was just a coincidence. Concubine Shun is still here. Who would have thought that the eldest prince would be close to other concubines? And at the age of the eldest prince, is there any rumor? If she really did that, what good would she get by slandering the prince? Concubine Zhou couldn't have been unaware of this.
Lady Zhou is the daughter of a criminal. She will only be able to be a lady in this life. If she wants to live, she cannot tell anyone about this.
Concubine Zhou did not think that Chu Linglong had an affair with the eldest prince, nor did she think of making it public. The eldest prince was only thirteen after the New Year. Although he was old, Chu Linglong was not a fool. She could not have been in a relationship with the eldest prince for this reason. So what else could she be hoping for?
Wasn't it that she had heard others say not long ago that the emperor now valued the great prince? Lady Zhou thought, what would the concubines rely on if they had no offspring? They would have to rely on other concubines to be taken care of. Who in the harem didn't want to have a good life?
But in this situation, all the concubines in the harem have no hope, so Chu Linglong is not targeting the emperor, but instead focusing her attention on the eldest prince?
Concubine Zhou heard recently that the eldest prince was favored by the emperor.
At that time, her resentment towards Xuanyuan Ling gradually became clearer, and she even thought about making him lose the person he cared about the most and let him know her pain. After all, she had avenged the pain of losing her son, but the pain of losing her father was still weighing on her heart. She thought of Chen Qing and the Sixth Prince, but knew it was not easy to do it, so the matter could only be put aside for the future.
Concubine Zhou was a little self-deprecating. After all, she was not as good as Chu Linglong. Chu Linglong was very capable. She set her sights on the eldest prince. She did not think of harming him, but instead stirred up trouble in the dark. She used the dumbest methods. But now, she really learned that sometimes, one really cannot be impatient. She can take it slow and not be in a hurry.
On this side, Chu Linglong and Concubine Zhou each had their own thoughts, and on the other side, Concubine Jia was also feeling a little melancholy this year.
A noble lady cannot raise a child by herself, but the emperor has issued an edict that the child must be raised in his presence. After the New Year, the seventh prince will no longer live with noble lady Jia. However, although it is said that the child is raised in his presence, it actually means that the child is raised in a separate palace. Noble lady Jia can still visit the child.
"My dear, think about it. Our Seventh Prince is the only one in the harem. The emperor has issued an order himself, so he should be taken care of more. You can visit him every day in the future. This is much better than the situation before when the child could not raise himself." The nanny next to her was afraid that My dear Jia would be upset.
Concubine Jia was just reluctant to let go, but she wasn't too depressed. After all, the nanny was right to comfort her. The emperor was actually taking care of the concubines below the rank of concubine. It was already good enough that he didn't ask her child to call someone else "mother concubine".
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